arrestment
|ar-rest-ment|
/əˈrɛstmənt/
stop / seize
Etymology
'arrestment' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'arestement' (from 'arester'), where 'arester' meant 'to stop' or 'to make stand'.
'arrestment' changed from Old French 'arestement' and Anglo-Norman forms into Middle English 'arestment' and eventually became the modern English word 'arrestment'.
Initially it meant 'the action of stopping or detaining', but over time it became specialized in legal contexts to mean 'the seizure or attachment of property to satisfy a debt'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a legal seizure or attachment of a person's goods or debts to secure payment of a debt (chiefly in Scots law and older legal usage).
The creditor obtained an arrestment of the debtor's wages to satisfy the outstanding claim.
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Noun 2
an archaic or obsolete sense meaning the act of stopping, detaining, or bringing to a halt.
In older texts one may read of the arrestment of the river's current after the flood.
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Last updated: 2025/10/19 05:36